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Monfort Cos. wants to demolish El Chapultepec building. Historic preservationists are fighting it.

Historic Denver on Monday filed a landmark designation application to save the El Chapultepec building, at 1962 Market St. in Lower Downtown Denver, from demolition by its owner, the Monfort Companies.

“The buildings that tell the story of our city aren’t necessarily the glamorous gems that stand out,” said John Deffenbaugh, president and CEO of Historic Denver. “Sometimes they’re subtle, discrete and sit in the background. What sets this apart is the incredible music that took place inside over a very long period of time and the national reputation it earned.”

Monfort Companies, which has owned the building since November 2022, has designed a new bar and restaurant at the site that would remove the old building and replace it with a connected structure and a sprawling patio, according to architectural renderings by Circle West Architects. The iconic El Chapultepec signage, and a possible Hollywood Walk of Fame-style installation of past musical legends, are under discussion to mark the site’s history, according to Monfort Cos.

Monfort picked up the property after the long-running club El Chapultepec closed in 2020. El Chapultepec opened as a restaurant and, later, became a crucial music venue and gathering place over the course of its 87 years. The Monfort Cos. deal in 2022 also included the Giggling Grizzly property on the corner of 20th and Market streets. Monfort purchased both for $5.38 million, according to property records.

The landmark designation application filed by Historic Denver was “extremely surprising” to Monfort Cos., said executive vice president Kenneth Monfort, whose uncle, Dick Monfort, and father, Charles Monfort, own the Colorado Rockies. Coors Field is only a few blocks from El Chapultepec, and the brothers, as well as Monfort Cos, have been developing and building new properties in the area — including the massive McGregor Square.

“It seems premature for that designation to go out without all the facts being presented,” Kenneth Monfort said Tuesday. “The site itself is very small and the condition of building is (unstable). We have a track record of maintaining and shoring up historic buildings on that block and it’s not something we skirt. We worked with engineers and the fire department trying to save this. But in this case it’s physically impossible and cost prohibitive.”

Monfort officials also met with Deffenbaugh late last year to discuss options for saving the building, but the conversation is only picking up again today, they said in separate interviews with The Denver Post.

“We’ve been concerned about this building for quite some time,” Deffenbaugh said. “When I met with the Monfort development team in December 2023, it was clear at that point their objective was to demolish the building.”

Structural reviews and Denver Fire Department inspections have deemed the building uninhabitable due to various engineering and safety concerns, according to documents reviewed by The Denver Post. Part of that is due to unpermitted changes made by former tenant Hussam Kayali, the ex-Beta Nightclub owner also known as Valentes Corleons, said Kenneth Monfort and Matt Runyon, a development partner at Monfort.

Developers at Monfort Cos. have also worked with the daughters of late El Chapultepec owner Jerry Krantz, and previous, short-term tenants, to look for solutions, they said.

The overall redevelopment of that and the adjoining property is already estimated at $15 million, Monfort said, not including the price of the building. It would be “many millions more” to keep the original building standing.

In fact, Monfort Companies has not yet filed an official application to demolish the building, they said. But word of it reached local jazz musicians and news media over the weekend, prompting alarm. The demolition and redevelopment, however, has the support of the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), which is seeking to revitalize the area and the urban core in general.

“Projects that promote engaging, active streets have never been more important to our downtown and we appreciate Monfort’s thoughtful, innovative approach to proposed plans for this site.” said Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of DDP, in a statement to The Denver Post.

The drive to preserve is being led by Elbra Wedgeworth, a longtime Denver city council and government veteran, and professional jazz musician Ron Bland, Deffenbaugh said. The building itself is believed to have been constructed around 1890, according to Historic Denver.

“I think all these things can work together with (late owner’s daughters’) Legacy Project, the narratives collected online, and the branding and piano at Dazzle,” he added. “There are other examples of doing this around town, integrating the old with the new. … Without this building we risk all of these memories fading into the background.”

Deffenbaugh said Historic Denver decided to file the preservation application on Monday due to the urgency of the situation. He and the Monforts are scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss the situation further, he said.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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